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NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

Review of the Animal Welfare Code of Practice Breeding Dogs and Cats (the Breeding Code)

The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Puppy Farming) Amendment Act 2024 commenced on 21 November 2024 and established clear and practical guardrails and standards for dog breeders.  The Act introduces measures through a staged approach, with further information available on the DPI website at: Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Amendment (Puppy Farming) Act 2024 | Department of Primary Industries

Through the commencement of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Puppy Farming) Amendment Act 2024, the NSW Government committed to revising the NSW Animal Welfare Code of Practice for Breeding Dogs and Cats (the Breeding Code).

A review of the Breeding Code is currently underway, to ensure the Breeding Code is fit for purpose and supports appropriate animal welfare outcomes through effective regulation of breeding standards.

The implementation of a revised Breeding Code will be conducted in two phases.

  • Phase 1 of the Breeding Code review will focus on developing a revised Breeding Code with essential amendments to support the implementation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Amendment (Puppy Farming) Act 2024.  The Amendment Act included new provisions which commenced on 1 December 2025, particularly for those breeders with more than 20 female adult dogs on a premises.

There are no changes proposed to the current standards for breeding of cats, other than aligning some of the definitions to the amended Act.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) will be reaching out to key stakeholders to undertake targeted consultation to inform this process.

  • Phase 2 of the Breeding Code review will undertake a comprehensive review to ensure that the Breeding Code includes improvements that strengthen breeding practices and outlines modern animal welfare standards that are fit for purpose for the breeding of dogs and cats in the New South Wales.

Further advice on this process will be provided in the future. Activities for this phase are likely to occur in 2027/2028.